Netball Waikohu v Horouta - Ngahuria Akania, Ashleigh Brown, Skye Swann
YMP (1) are a win away from retaining the Premier Grade crown but only after squeezing past a committed Whangara Old Girls (1) in the 1 v 2 semifinal at the YMCA on Wednesday night.
The defending champions won 48-45 in a semi that went down to the wire, and they remain on track for a perfect season.
Quarter scores tell the story of a game that had supporters virtually screaming at every turnover and goal scored.
YMP led 14-8 after 15 minutes, 25-23 at halftime and 34-33 at the three-quarter break.
In the first quarter, both teams applied pressure on the ball carrier and created turnovers. The difference was YMP were better at capitalising on these and built a six-goal advantage.
The second quarter continued in that vein with YMP’s shooters Paku-Jane Skudder and Jayda Banks working nicely together to give their feeders options — the high lob into Skudder; the quick pass to Banks particularly successful.
Halfway through the second quarter YMP were seven goals in front and had momentum.
Whangara had other ideas.
They eliminated the errors they had been committing, applied more pressure to the ball carrier and pegged back the deficit to be down by only one goal at halftime.
Centre Tania Adamson was instrumental in turning her team’s play around.
She collected crucial intercepts, showed good awareness of the ball and where her team members were positioned and quickly moved from defence to attack mode, which lifted the rest of her tea,
YMP centre Ata Mangu plays a similar game, so there was a good tussle between these two.
The next two quarters were enthralling as YMP moved ahead only for Whangara to reel them in.
Halfway through the last quarter Whangara took the lead 41-40 to the elation of their supporters and from there it went goal for goal as each team scored from their own centre pass.
With the score at 44-all, YMP defender Bronya McMenamin intercepted as the ball was heading into the Whangara goal circle, and this was converted into a goal.
At Whangara’s next pass, YMP’s Keasi Fonohema repeated McMenamin’s effort and that too resulted in a goal which put YMP three in front . . . where they stayed.
YMP’s win put them into the Gisborne Pak’nSave Premier Grade final on Saturday, August 19.
?Whangara will next week play the winners of the elimination semifinal between Claydens Waikohu (1) and Horouta Koura in the Y tomorrow.
In the curtain-raiser on Wednesday night, Gisborne Girls’ High School Senior A defeated Farmlands Ngatapa 50-35 in a bottom-three round-robin game that was more competitive than the 15-goal scoreline suggests.
GGHS pulled a little further ahead over each quarter by moving quickly through the court, working together and letting the ball flow to their shooters.
However, there were times when Ngatapa stopped that flow, created turnovers and kept in touch — especially in the first half.
Girls High’s circle defenders Joaquina Kaa and Piper Glass-Donaldson worked tirelessly for the hour and collected many tips and intercepts.
Ngatapa’s shooters Jayda Taiepa and Hannah Little worked hard to free themselves of defenders to get clean ball and not have to rely on overhead passes.
When Ngatapa’s attackers moved the ball at speed it was easier to deliver to their shooters and not give the students’ defenders time to position themselves.
Girls’ High made several changes to their attacking section of Silke McNaught, Te Arai Waihape-Matthews, Natasha Porter and Kassie Owen, whose links have developed over the season.
Shooters Jamie Rika, Sage Brown and Kassie Owen scored well under the pressure from Ngatapa defenders Grace Watts and Bea Tomlinson.
It’s do or die for Waikohu (1) and Horouta Koura in their 3 v 4 semifinal at the YMCA tomorrow morning (10.30am).
The last time these two met, the score see-sawed throughout and ended in a draw.
Both teams pressured the ball carrier and there were some impressive intercepts.
A similarly close contest is expected tomorrow as the winners stay alive — and will face Whangara for a place in the final — while the losers finish the season fourth.
The 3 v 4 knockout semi will be preceded (9am) by a bottom-three game between Character Roofing YMP (2) and Ngatapa.
YMP (2) beat Ngatapa in their final points competition game last weekend but with pride at stake for two sides promoted from Premier Reserve, anything could happen.
Across the road at the Victoria Doman courts, all other senior grades will be involved in semifinals from 9am.
It will be hotly contested stuff as the winners move through to the finals on August 19 while the losers finish third-equal.